The Messenger, Georgia
May 24 2005
Putin: bases no longer strategic elements
While negotiators meet in Tbilisi on Monday, in Moscow Putin backs
base withdrawal, providing no third country base is deployed in
Georgia
By Mary Makharashvili
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday he hoped that no
third country bases would be deployed on Georgian territory once the
Russian military bases have been withdrawn.
At a press briefing, Putin noted that the two Russian bases in
Georgia are the heritage of the Soviet period but said that it was
nevertheless not pleasant for Russia to withdraw them from Georgia.
“These bases are where Soviet soldiers used to be located. They are
not bases but just places where Soviet soldiers were always located.
These bases are not of interest for us in terms of Russia’s security
issues – this is the opinion of Russian general headquarters,” he
stated.
“Our neighbors do not want our military presence there and I do not
see anything good in it. The worst thing is that we opposed their
sovereign rights,” the Russian president added.
In Tbilisi, meanwhile, yet another round of Georgian-Russian
negotiations on the issue was underway on Monday. An eleven person
Russian delegation headed by Russian Ambassador for Emergency Issues
Igor Salovski arrived in Tbilisi on Monday. The Georgian delegation
is headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Merab Antadze.
In an interview with reporters, Salovski stated only that the main
“issue of discussion was providing for the normal existence of the
bases in the period up until their withdrawal.”
The parties are to discuss the timeframe of withdrawal of the bases
in Batumi and Akhalkalaki as well as the technical details of
withdrawal of the equipment and personnel. According to the latest
proposals, the withdrawal process will be completed within the next
three and a half years.
Arriving at the Tbilisi International Airport, Salovski said Russia
was prepared to agree to withdraw the bases by sometime in 2008
though the exact date is still unknown.
Georgian officials also indicated that progress is being made. “We
have a draft agreement between the two presidents at hand. Most of
the issues have been agreed upon, and only insignificant details are
still under discussion,” chair of the parliamentary committee for
foreign relations Konstantine Gabashvili told journalists on Monday.
Speaker of Parliament Nino Burjanadze has expressed the government’s
opinion that Russia is entirely free to deploy the bases wherever it
wants after they are withdrawn from Georgian territory, including to
Gumri base in Armenia.
“The place of deployment of the equipment after withdrawal of it from
Georgia is up to Russia. There is no danger for Georgia from the
Armenian side,” she said.
Burjanadze added that rumors that the bases would be relocated to
Abkhazia were “absurd.”
“Abkhazia has always been the territory of Georgia. Nobody can either
deploy, or re-deploy military equipment there without the agreement
of the leadership of Georgia. The Russian leadership would never make
such a provocative action that could be evaluated as open opposition,
nothing else,” she stressed.
Parliament set to grill minister
Immediately following the negotiations on Monday, Minister of Foreign
Affairs Salome Zurabishvili was slated to report to the parliamentary
bureau on the negotiations.
Vice Speaker of the Parliament Mikheil Machavariani argued on Monday
that Parliament has the right to invite ministers to speak about all
issues. The hearing was originally scheduled for early on Monday but
postponed after Zourabichvili requested a delay so she could first
hold negotiations.
“My questions to her will be on how the work regarding the agreement
is being conducted, and how the negotiations are going. I would also
ask what the Russian side has offered us and whether the government
has accepted this,” he said.
Leader of the Right Wing Opposition Davit Gamkrelidze says that he
will question the minister at what level negotiations with Russia
currently are and why fulfillment of the parliamentary resolution
declaring the bases illegal was postponed.
“No matter that the authority says that this resolution is in force,
I should say that it is not in force,” he said.
Burjanadze, however, declared that the resolution has come into
force, but that it was never intended to harm anyone.
“We are a civilized and democratic state. We defend our fair national
interests by democratic means,” she declared on Monday, adding that
the Georgian side was hopeful that a final agreement would be reached
shortly.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress